A New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

A New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Old rail station site, fenced off and ready to be converted into 85 new car parking spaces at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Old rail station site, fenced off and ready to be converted into 85 new car parking spaces at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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The engine of a New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

The engine of a New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Passengers board a New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Passengers board a New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Image 5 of 8

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Old rail station site, fenced off and ready to be converted into 85 new car parking spaces at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Old rail station site, fenced off and ready to be converted into 85 new car parking spaces at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Image 7 of 8

Passengers board a New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Passengers board a New York City bound Amtrak train at the Albany-Rensselaer Station Thursday afternoon, Sept. 26, 2013, in Rensselaer, N.Y. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

At stake is the continuation of most passenger rail service in New York after Oct. 16, thanks to federal legislation requiring states and Amtrak to jointly develop a method to share costs for trains on routes of up to 750 miles.

Agreements, which are required by Oct. 1, have been reached in 12 of the 19 states affected by the requirement, an Amtrak spokesman said, although some still require signatures.

New York state has budgeted $44.3 million as its share to continue Amtrak services at their current level. The expenditure wouldn't cover additional train operations or the restoration of food service on trains originating or terminating in Albany, something that was discontinued several years ago.

But sources say a stumbling block has arisen in New York over the CSX rail line between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady that Amtrak leases. Amtrak wants maintenance costs to be included in the cost-sharing agreement, while the state says the tracks are Amtrak's responsibility.

State DOT officials are optimistic that a shutdown can be avoided.

"Discussions are going well and we remain confident that an agreement will be in place before the deadline," DOT spokesman Beau Duffy said on Thursday.

But one person close to the talks said they are going "slowly" and that "time is running out."

Under Amtrak's plan, if an agreement isn't reached, trains would operate only through Oct. 16. Amtrak would stop taking reservations on affected routes for travel beyond the 16th.

Notices of possible service suspensions would be posted at stations starting next week.

The Lake Shore Limited would still serve the Capital Region. As a long-distance train, it's not included in the cost-sharing requirement.

Public officials are hoping a timely agreement is reached.

"Amtrak is vital to upstate New York, and the Capital Region in particular, and we hope both sides will come to agreement quickly," said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.